GUYANA, because of its unique position as the only English-speaking country in South America, must be promoted in the best possible light as it has been able to demonstrate leadership on a number of issues, internationally, despite challenges, Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said recently on a television programme.

Speaking on the ‘The Factor’, with host Neaz Subhan yesterday, Guyana’s chief diplomat noted that the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), macroeconomic policies and continued economic growth, despite a global recession, mean that other nations and international agencies have noted Guyana as a good example at various forums.
More work has to be done to improve the international view of Guyana, she said, and she lauded the work of former President Bharrat Jagdeo for putting the country on the world map. She also noted that President Donald Ramotar is poised to add to this impressive portfolio with Guyana’s acceptance of membership in the Global Green Growth Institute and his appointment to the Group of Member States Champions for the “Education First’ initiative. The latter will be officially launched on September 26.
Only recently, a delegation led by His Excellency Andrew Ayre, British High Commissioner, and including Mr. Ian Bolton, Climate Change and Energy Desk Officer at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Mr. Matt Nottingham, Political Officer at the British High Commission in Port of Spain met with officials of the Climate Change Unit, Office of the President, to gain a better understanding on how the UK and Guyana can work more closely and establish areas for greater cooperation on climate change.
Guyana’s LCDS is internationally recognized as a workable model for forested developing countries to achieve national development goals through sustainable exploitation of natural resources.
The country had led the way with the historic Norway agreement from which Guyana has begun receiving payments for avoided deforestation and other climate change related forest services. The partnership represents the world’s second largest Interim REDD + scheme and the first national-scale effort, with Guyana being one of a few countries in the world that is being paid for the climate services its forests provide.
Minister Rodrigues-Birkett, comparing the work of the Foreign Ministry to that of years past, said this will always be an issue; but the point is moot, since the times are different and the world has changed dramatically as issues evolve. Some of these issues, such as food security, financial instability and energy crises are being dealt with through Guyana’s membership in various organizations, such as Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) regional international outlook recently identified Guyana among the resource exporting countries of the Caribbean, and by extension, the most outstanding economic performer of recent years.
The Fund has also praised Guyana for its resilience and growth over the past few years, which the Guyana Government attributes to good macroeconomic fundamentals and prudent management.
In reports from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Guyana was again acclaimed as one of the principal drivers of growth in the Caribbean.
The Foreign Minister addressed the negative perceptions faced by Guyanese travelling overseas and singled out Trinidad and Tobago as one example. She said that despite various agreements, the CARICOM sister state continues to target Guyanese unfairly with visitors having to undergo repeated security checks even when in transit to other countries, when the same measure is not applied to other nationalities. These are some of the issues which her ministry continues to tackle and these are being actively engaged with her ministerial counterparts.
It should be noted that many of the countries in which Guyanese are hassled are in fact benefiting from key services provided by this country. Many are quick to point out those Guyanese who fall foul of the law, but conveniently forget to mention when they also perform creditably, she added.
The task of changing the perception of Guyanese is a job for all, according to the minister, not just government, but all other sectors of local society.